On Saturday Sept 5th 2015, Rwanda undertook the naming of twenty four (24) baby gorillas on its famous Kwita Izina Ceremony that is conducted annually in the Volcanoes National Park the haven for gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda.
The event which is considered as one of the highlights of Rwanda’s efforts to ensure the endangered animal protection which pull crowds of the foreign visitors to undertake safaris to Rwanda and in particular the Volcano forests where they thrive.
The young gorillas that are identified by the researchers and trackers thrived in their nearby wild habitat and not at the gorilla naming event that was held at Kinigi close to the entry point of Rwanda’s Volcanoes Park where gorilla safaris in Rwanda are conducted. The President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was among the thousands of people that gathered at event to jubilate the populations of the critically endangered mountain gorillas whose image decorates the range of sculptures in the destination Rwanda and also the Rwanda’s currency.
The government of Rwanda believes that the gorilla naming ceremony which was initiated in the year 2005 featuring the similar Rwandan traditions will mark the significance of mountain gorilla protection along with Rwanda safaris which are apparently the leading foreign exchange earner for Rwanda. The names given to the gorillas are used by the researchers in the gorilla identification along with their families while carrying out various studies in the wild.
The names that were given the baby gorillas featured great words of Courage, Power and Conviviality in the Kinyarwanda dialect. These names do not only give gorillas greater value in the country but also allows the citizens to rethink of themselves and renew their commitment towards Conservation and national transformation.
The mountain gorillas in Rwanda thrives in the Virunga Massif which is protected on the Rwandan side by the Volcanoes National Park adjoining the conservation areas of the neighboring countries including the Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga National Park in Rwanda.
The mountain gorilla populations have been increasing overtime as a result of increased conservation efforts and the Virunga massif where the Volcanoes is located support a count of 480 mountain gorillas. It is from these, that Rwanda has habituated ten (10) gorilla families for the trekking encounter by the travelers on gorilla safari in Rwanda.
